This application claims the priority of 198 51 027.6-16, filed Nov. 11, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a headrest for vehicle seats, and more particularly, to a headrest having a head cushion and two side cheeks which are assigned to the head cushion and which, in an in-use position, project laterally on the head cushion beyond the cushion front and, in their not-in-use position, can be swivelled into a contour of the head cushion.
In a known headrest of the type shown in DE 195 28 716 A1, (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,742) the head cushion consists of an upper and a lower cushion elevation. Two identically constructed side cheeks each have a parallelepiped-shaped basic cushion body which rests between the two cushion elevations and has a depth corresponding to the depth of the cushion elevations as well as a cushioned wedge piece which continues therefrom in one piece. The two wedge pieces are constructed such that, in the not-in-use position of the side cheeks, they overlap one another between the cushion elevations viewed in their depth and close off approximately flush with the front and back side of the cushion elevations.
In a driving operation, such a known headrest has a compact minimal dimension and allows the driver to sufficiently look toward the rear and sideways. In the not-in-use phase, this headrest offers side cheeks which can be swivelled out and which prevent the head from rolling off. When the side cheeks are in use, however, as the result of the folded-out side cheeks, a recess is formed in the head cushion. This is not a problem when the headrest is used in a non-driving operation. However, when the side cheeks are used in the driving operation by the front seat passenger or other passengers, the safety and comfort features of the known headrest are not made available because of the recess formed by folding out the side cheeks.